Repository:
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Abstract: The Loch K. Johnson Papers contain materials related to Johnson's time serving under U.S. Senate and House intelligence oversight committees from 1975 to 1996 as well as his professorship at the University of Georgia from 1979 to 2019. The collection documents both Johnson's government and academic careers and the changing status of American intelligence agencies--including articles, publications, symposia notes, correspondence, and awards.
Loch K. Johnson is a Regents Professor Emeritus of Public and International Affairs in the University of Georgia's School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA). He was born in Auckland, New Zealand in 1942 and received his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Riverside in 1969.
From 1975-1976 Johnson was the senior aide to Senator Frank Church on the U.S. Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities (the Church Committee). He was later the first staff director of House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Subcommittee on Oversight (1977-1979). From 1995-1996, he served as senior aide to the chair of the Commission on the Roles and Capabilities of the U.S. Intelligence Community (the Aspin-Brown Commission).
Subsequent to his government service, Johnson joined the faculty of the University of Georgia, where he led the effort to establish the School of Public and International Affairs in 2001. In 2005, he was instrumental in the founding of the UGA Memorial Garden. Professor Johnson's areas of expertise include American foreign policy, national security, strategic intelligence and executive-legislative relations. He is also the author of over thirty books on intelligence, covering topics such as covert action, foreign policy, and intelligenc eoversight. He received numerous rewards for his scholarship and service, including the President's Medal, the Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Josiah Meigs Prize. In 2012, he was named the inaugural Professor of the Year by the universities of the Southeast Conference. Professor Johnson retired from UGA in 2019.
The Loch K. Johnson Papers contain materials related to his government work with the Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities (the Church Committee) and his career as Professor of International Affairs at the Univserity of Georgia's School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA). The latter is an especially rich source of information about the founding and early years of SPIA.
A third component of this collection includes popular and scholarly articles on intelligence issues, filed by topic. These include articles on Watergate, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the September 11 terrorist attacks.
This collection is arranged in five series. Series I covers Professor Johnson's work at the University of Georgia. Series II includes documents from Johnson's government service, particularly his position as senior aide to the Church Committee. Series III contains Johnson's accumulated scholarly and popular articles on intelligence topics. Series IV contains various artifacts and oversized items, while Series V contains audiovisual recordings.
This collection contains digital files. To access these files, please request the folders you would like through the finding aid using your research account. An archivist will be in contact with you to explain how to access the files. Please note that not all file formats are currently supported by the library for research use.
This collection contains audiovisual materials. Reference copies of the audiovisual recordings are available upon request. Research requests will be filled as soon as possible and will be dependent upon the condition of the recordings.
